Half a century ago, Dr. Gershon Kranzler painted word portraits of a string of fascinating people, great and little known, from the pioneer "Shatnez Man" to the Stoliner Rebbe.

These were the turbulent, traumatic post-Holocaust years, when the land was being plowed and the seeds planted for today's flourishing Orthodoxy. And Dr. Kranzler was not only a chronicler, but an active participant.

This book presents many of his finest essays. They are filled with the author's personal warmth, powerful analysis, and prescient projections of what was to come. His work is hugely interesting for the stories and biographical sketches themselves - but also because it is a mirror of what we were. Charming, historic, and memorable - an unbeatable combination.